Bike Ride the Callaway Fantasy in Lights!

You who have enjoyed taking the jolly trolley or driving through the Fantasy in Lights display at Callaway Gardens mark your calendars for Dec. 30 if you want a fun, physical experience on your bicycle! This ride is good for any type of bicycle: road, mountain, hybrid, whatever you like best! It is also a ride for all levels of experience. There are no rentals available. Bring your own or a borrowed bike from home. 

The first ever Final Night Bicycle Ride is scheduled the evening of Dec. 30th for the 5-mile journey through the Fantasy in Lights attraction that includes Enchanted Rainbow Forest, Firefly Cove and Snowflake Valley.

The plan will be for those of us who wish to carpool to meet at 12:30 pm at I-85 Exit #64 (about 8 miles SW of the Atlanta Airport exit - see Carpool directions below).  Others in the group are free to drive down independently.  We carpoolers will rendezvous with you others at the Callaway Gardens Discovery Center at 2:00 pm to enjoy a look around and get acquainted. (Meet initially at the interior info desk.)  Let's target 2:30 for an "early AOC bike ride" (meeting at the bike racks in front of the Discovery Ctr) to visit the Butterfly Center, etc.

Then at 4:30 pm we will gather there again at the Discovery Ctr to get ready for the main "public-at-large" group bike ride through the beautiful lights.  The departure time cutoff for beginning this main twilight & after-dark ride is 5:15 p.m.

Cost is $16 for adults plus a $1.00 processing fee on the ticketing website. A helmet is recommended for everyone by Callaway Gardens, however, it is REQUIRED by your trip leader.

The bicycle ride is an inaugural special event this year and we can participate in the very FIRST bike ride of the Fantasy in Lights! National Geographic Traveler’s has rated the Callaway Gardens attraction among the nation’s top 10 places to take in holiday lights.

For this event, YOU WILL NOT PAY THE AOC. PLEASE GO ONLINE OR CALL THE FOLLOWING NUMBER TO GET YOUR TICKET TO RIDE. When you have your ticket, register for the AOC event as usual.

For tickets to the bicycle ride, visit http://www.showclix.com/event/3736053/listing or call 1-800-225-5292. Cost for each adult is $16.00. There is a $1.00 processing fee on the ticketing website. No pets or children are allowed for this AOC event, though there will be young ones allowed on the ride by the Gardens...

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• The ride will begin and end at the Callaway Discovery Center. Cyclists should arrive at this location, with their own bicycles, by 4:30 p.m.
• No cyclists will be permitted to start the ride after 5:15 p.m.
• Following the ride, automobile traffic will be directed onto Discovery Parkway to exit the Gardens. Guests are invited to visit Robin Lake Beach, home to two special light-and-sound shows, The Nativity and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas; great shopping opportunities in the Christmas Village and the Snow Globe; and a wide variety of dining options.

After you have obtained your "e-ticket" online from Callaway, register for the event or vice versa. Please be advised that you are responsible for obtaining your own ticket for the ride. The trip leader cannot make a last minute arrangement after we get there to guarantee your access to the the light ride. Please be registered and have your ticket for the ride on your arrival at the carpool or the event.

For much more information on the Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens, please see http://www.callawaygardens.com/events/signature/fantasy-in-lights. There is info on the scenes we'll see and the Christmas Village and more.

The evening ride will be in twilight and after dark (ON PURPOSE!!) so have a forward pointing light (bike light or headlamp) and a red rear facing light or reflector. As I get my questions answered as to the route etc. I will send info out to all registered for the event as I get it.

This place is magical and will be more so out in the open so we can see and hear it all! Let's go take part in the first bike ride in the lights EVER!

LOCATION: Callaway Gardens is in Pine Mountain, Georgia, 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport and 30 minutes north of Columbus.

If you wish to use an online mapping service or GPS unit in conjunction with the directions below, enter as your destination the following Lat/Lon Coordinates of the Callaway "Garden Entrance" or the main address of the Gardens.  The "Garden Entrance (at intersection of GA-18 and GA-354 is the preferred entrance/exit for this event.

Lat/Lon Coordinates for GPS, etc: 32.85220,-84.86716

Main Callaway Gardens address:  17800 U.S. Hwy. 27 Pine Mountain, GA 31822

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:

From Atlanta (70 miles)

1. Take Interstate I-85 South and merge onto I-185 South (at I-85 Exit #21).
2. Take I-185 South about 7 miles and exit at US-27 (Exit #42).
3. Turn Left onto US-27 and go about 8 miles to the town of Pine Mountain.
4. Turn Right onto GA-18 (W Harris St) and go about 0.7 mile to intersection with GA-354.
5. Continue on GA-18 straight across GA-354 to the Callaway Gardens’ "Garden Entrance" booth where you'll present your pre-purchased ticket.  (Suggestion:  Ask for a Callaway Bike Trail Map.)
6. Proceed to the Discovery Center (about 2 miles) where we'll gather initially at the interior info desk at 2:00 PM, and again at 4:30 for the main ride.

From Macon, GA (80 miles) Take U.S. Hwy. 80 West to Ga. Hwy. 208 West to U.S. Hwy. 27 North. Proceed through Hamilton and past the Callaway Gardens Country Store. Continue approximately one mile to Original Callaway Gardens entrance on left.

 From Columbus, GA (30 miles) Take Interstate 185 North to Ga. Hwy. 18 East (Exit 34). Turn right and follow Hwy. 18 to the main entrance of Callaway Gardens on the right.

Ride Ticket plus a $1.00 processing fee on the website.

Pay directly to Callaway for the Bike ride through Fantasy in Lights using above info.

No ticket refunds for Cancellation or "No Show."